7TH AND 8TH CENTURY URBAN SPACE- HOUSE OF PROPHET MUHAMMAD

Debasish Borah M. Arch (T&D) 0711 22.8.2012

Prophet Muhammad’s house in Medina is an important center, not only for religious, but also as cultural, political and economic spectrums, in the era, when Islam was on the rise. Muhammad’s followers from different walks of life used to

come there. His house was also like a serai1. Travelers from

far flung places used to come there for religious and military preaches. His house is one of the earliest models for a mosque.

Muhammad’s home consisted of one open courtyard in which important house hold tasks were carried out. When his followers gathered in the open space to listen and talk to

the prophet and join him in prayers, a shelter, zulla2, was

erected.

Plate 1

1. Serai is Arabic term which means resting place. Such resting places were common in Middle East and in asia, and were commonly used as military resting place.

2. Zulla is an olden Arabic tent, which is made of palm leaves, supported by palm trunks, to protect from the scorching heat.

Plate 2 Plate 3

Plate1 House of Prophet muhammed.

Plate 2 Life in a mediaeval urban space, miniature

Plate 3 A maula, calling the believers for Namaj at kabba.

References

1. Helen and Richard Leacroft, Buildings of early Islam, Addison-Wesley Publications, London, 1985

2. Karen Armstrong, Muhammad-Prophet of our Times, Harper perennial, London, 2006

Image References

1. Plate 1 Page 2, Helen and Richard Leacroft, Buildings of early Islam, Addison-Wesley Publications, London, 1985

2. Plate 2 Cover Page, Helen and Richard Leacroft, Buildings of early Islam, Addison-Wesley Publications, London, 1985

3. Plate 3 Page 1, Helen and Richard Leacroft, Buildings of early Islam, Addison-Wesley Publications, London, 1985